Lessons about the police department

Wednesday

Apr 30, 2008 at 12:01 AM

By GEORGE AUSTIN

By GEORGE AUSTIN

Editor

SOMERSET — Before she attended the Somerset Teen and Citizens' Police Academy recently, resident Reda Duffy-Carlson did not know what officers have to go through when handling such sensitive problems as domestic violence calls.

"I've discovered the real humanity of police," Ms. Duffy-Carlson said of what she learned in the program aimed to educate the public about what the Somerset Police Department does.

The 10-week program, coordinated by patrolman Todd Costa, covered criminal and motor vehicle laws, what the police take into consideration when deciding to use or not use force, domestic violence, narcotics investigations and the handling of confidential informants, among other topics. The classes were scheduled to go from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each Thursday.

"This class was incredibly enthusiastic," Officer Costa said. "They would actually get angry if we let them out before nine o'clock. They always wanted more."

Ryan McCallister, grandson of Roy Stout, a Somerset police officer killed while on duty in 1972, attended the program.

"I learned how police officers do their jobs and a lot of the laws," McCallister said. A student at Durfee High School, he said he is thinking about becoming a police officer in order to serve his community.

"I've been considering it," McCallister said. "A lot of it has to do with respect for my grandfather. It seems like a job I'd like to do."

One of the more popular activities among the students was going to a New Bedford place where students saw a simulation where they had to decide whether or not to shoot someone as a police officer during a crime investigation. A situation was shown on a screen and the students were given a plastic gun which they used when making their decisions.

The people who signed up for the program ranged from high school students to a realtor to a member of the Economic Development Committee, Michael Macedo, who remembered coaching some of the police officers in sports when they were younger and was glad to see them doing so well in their careers.

"I came away from this with more respect for the authority in this town," Mr. Macedo said. "You have a wonderful Police Department. You have a tremendous force. We're very proud of it."

Robert Silvia said he wants to be a police officer and attending the program made him want to join law enforcement even more. Mr. Silvia, who graduated from the Somerset Community Evening School in 2004, said the academy gave him a better idea of what the job of a police officer is like.

"It's tough," Mr. Silvia said. "They have to go through a lot. You don't know how much stress there is."

Ms. Burroughs signed up for the citizens' police academy after seeing an advertisement for it in a newspaper. Ms. Burroughs, a middle school teacher in Fairhaven and a Somerset resident, said she just wanted to learn about what the Police Department in her town does. She said officers were very candid in answering questions from people in the academy.

"I just learned that they have a lot of different responsibilities," Ms. Burroughs said. "They are constantly having to make decisions and react quickly. I give them a lot of credit for doing that."

Mr. Velozo said he was very impressed when he learned how much education and training police officers need to do their jobs.

Mr. Bavoux said he learned about the danger that police officers face and the tension involved. He said he learned about the way they walk up to cars pulled over for a violation so that the person in the vehicle can not harm them.

Ms. Bavoux learned about the changes in laws over the past 15 years. She said she realized how police officers analyze a whole situation before making decisions. Ms. Bavoux attended the academy with her husband, Roger Bavoux. They are both retired. They said everyone in Somerset should go through the course to learn about their Police Department.

"The thing that stands out to me is that the police gave the citizens in the academy the utmost respect," Mr. Bavoux said.

Ms. Duffy-Carlson said she found the forensic scientist who made a presentation to the class to be fascinating. The investigator showed how older men try to lure younger children and how to guard against computer hackers trying to steal credit card information. Mallory Oliveira, a sophomore at Somerset High School, said the academy was a great experience. She found a lesson about how criminals hide drugs when they transport them to be interesting.

"I really wanted to see how things are," Oliveira said as she sat in the conference room of the police station. "When you watch movies, everything is picture perfect. When you come here, you see what they really do."

Oliveira used to wonder why police were stopping students in cars when she thought they didn't do anything wrong. But she has a different perspective on such activity now.

"They're only doing this to protect us," Oliveira said.

Somerset Police Chief Joseph Ferreira spoke at the academy commencement last Thursday. He said police officers, often associated with negative things, like giving people speeding tickets or pulling a father out of a house because of a domestic violence situation, realize they have nothing without community support.

"Sooner or later, people come to realize that we're here for the good of the whole, every man and woman," Chief Ferreira said.